Paint Coloured Skies
by Kawaii Bishyness
Summary: Kanda was no stalker. Of course not. He had a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why he was always hiding behind a plant after school from 3-4, directly in front of the art room, where a certain albino kid just... draws. AU Yullen


Hi. I'm writing Yullen- which hasn't happened in a while, eh?

If this receives like... a lot of reviews, I'm thinking of more one-shots. ;D

Have you guys bought the Volume 20 of DGM? It's a nice cover of only Allen and Kanda :D

Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and if you do, please review~ But you don't have to, it's just it'd be nice if I knew people liked it.

* * *

><p>It was awkward to admit, but Yuu Kanda was immensely fascinated by the artistic albino nerd that happened to always be in the art room after school from 3 to 4.<p>

Oh, no, he was no stalker. _The_ Yuu Kanda, a stalker? Please. If anyone had heard that, they would laugh it off and say that that was not the case. Yuu Kanda would most likely be stalked instead of the other way around. Anyone worthy of Kanda's affection was either a) perfect, or b) nonexistent, which made it pretty difficult to narrow down the suspects. His annoying, self-proclaimed 'best friend' knew that something was up, but he wisely decided to say nothing, only dropping subtle hints that no one really got- not even himself.

So basically, he would casually walk towards the art room, sneak a peek or two, and then hide behind the potted plant, listening to the gentle brushstrokes and the soft humming of his soothing voice for the next hour or so. This made him seem desperate, but he really did not want to reveal himself. He was used to admirers falling all over him, but he had never actually pursued a romance with any of them. No doubt they would all die and go to heaven with happiness, but the girls really weren't interesting, and they had excited, high-pitched voices that did nothing but constantly grate his ears.

He saw him for the first time one fateful afternoon. He had stayed behind, making up an excuse as to why he had rejected Lavi's karaoke invitation, and had hid in the washroom for a little while, washing his hands over and over and yanking at his ponytail, making sure that there was not a single bump. After he was certain that not a single soul was left in the school, he walked away, constantly on his toes for the sight of a single strand of red hair. He was too focused on the colour red that he, in fact, walked straight into a student and made him fall down.

"Ow!" Kanda blinked, looking down. A pale hand was clutching at the mop of white hair, and his scrawny body looked a bit weak for the average male. "That hurt!"

"Sorry." Kanda said dismissively. He walked around him and proceeded to move on, until something yanked on his pants leg. He turned around, about to tell the boy off, when his breath hitched.

He looked annoyed, if his silver-grey eyes were any indicator. His pink lips were pursed into a pout, and his white hair looked almost like feathers under the afternoon sun. His long, almost freakish red scar started from his forehead and streaked down his cheekbone, a startling contrast to the rest of his pale, almost porcelain skin. His hands were covered in strokes of paint and clumps of dried clay, hiding under his fingernails and going almost up to his arms.

"If you bumped into someone, you should at least help them up." His voice was vaguely British, and he sounded irritated. "It's common etiquette."

"I don't want to touch your hand." Kanda replied. The boy almost bristled with anger, his eyes flashing black for just a second.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He shot back. Kanda blinked in surprise. "Call me a freak, already, just like the rest of the people here! You're all jerks! Every single one of you!"

Before Kanda could say anything, he got up, patted his clothes down, and ran off, clutching his bag to his chest protectively. Kanda wasn't sure what had happened- he just didn't want to touch his hand because it was covered with art muck. Was that a huge offence? Shaking his head, Kanda walked towards the exit, fully planning on pushing the whole situation to the back of his head.

Except it didn't. It stuck there, like a leech to skin, refusing to come off no matter how much he pulled. He directed all of his focus into kendo, but even then the angry, almost sad face of the boy came in, contaminating the rest of his thoughts with regret. He wasn't sure what he regretted- for not helping him up? For saying that he didn't want to touch his hand? It didn't make any sense. He didn't get it, and he hated it when he didn't understand something. It made him feel inferior; almost stupid.

And Yuu Kanda was certainly not stupid.

So he reluctantly turned to Lavi, the guy who knew almost everyone's name, age, birthday, family background and hobbies. One may call him creepy- actually, only Kanda called him creepy, everyone else seemed to be immune- but he was charismatic and had loads of friends. He also had photographic memory, which was handy in a lot of cases. (Everyone wanted to sit near Lavi so that they could copy down his answers.) Lavi was eating a bread roll and was completely surprised but ecstatic that Kanda had turned to him for information.

"Skinny, pale, white-haired, has a scar on his eye..." Lavi contemplated, his expression one of utmost seriousness. "Do you know what year?"

"It's not that hard to figure who it is, is it?" Kanda asked incredulously. "I mean, it's rare to see someone looking like that."

"Yeah, I know, but still..." Lavi thought a little longer, before brightening up. "Oh! The weirdo!"

"What?" Kanda asked, completely thrown. "The _weirdo_?"

"Yeah." Lavi said, munching on his bread roll. He then began to slurp on his apple juice. "Actually, he has worse nicknames. Loser. Idiot. _Freak_."

Kanda winced at the word. Lavi gazed at him before continuing. "He's been here for a long time, Kanda. I'm surprised you didn't notice."

"A long time?" Kanda furrowed his eyebrows. "How is that possible? If he's been here for long he's kind of very noticeable."

"I know. But you didn't care for much besides soba and mugen." Lavi crumpled up the paper carton, and aimed it at the garbage can. It landed in cleanly. "His real name is Allen Walker, and he's pretty talented at playing piano and art. He kind of stays after school to do pottery or paint or something. The teacher doesn't mind, so he just does as he pleases. Quite sad about his arm, though."

"His arm?" Kanda couldn't help but express interest about it. He tried to hide it under his normally calm facade, but Lavi picked up on it, his keen ears detecting every single undertone.

"Yup. His father, Mana, died in a fire, and he tried to save him. However, he wasn't fast enough, and his left hand got burned. It was alright, but it's apparently very ugly. I've never seen it." Lavi said it all so matter-of-factedly, as though they were merely discussing the weather. Kanda wanted to punch him in the face for saying it so unfeelingly. "Why, are you interested in him?" Lavi's monotone voice became teasing, his expression one of pure glee. Kanda quickly turned around, making sure his ponytail whacked Lavi's face before replying,

"Interested? In that little shorty? Never."

He was certain that both he and Lavi knew that he was lying.

And so that was how he had reached this predicament, crouching behind a potted plant, silently listening to the whirring of the ceramics machine and Allen's foot tapping 4/4 time.

Tap, tap, tap, tap. Stop. Tap, tap, tap, tap. Stop. Almost inaudible sounds of humming sailed through the air, with Kanda straining forward to catch on to the soft song. Never mind the fact that his homework was all piled up on his desk unfinished, he preferred getting all zero's if he could just listen to the peaceful sounds of the boy's song. It was even better than meditating- and that was saying something. Suddenly, the machine stopped whirring, and his foot stopped tapping. The sound of the chair scraping against the floor was harsh to his ears, but he merely gritted his teeth and sat. His legs had been getting even better with all of the crouching he was doing that it didn't feel sore anymore, but he still liked to feel comfortable.

"I know you're there." Allen's voice was clear and rang out soundly. Kanda's eyes widened. Shit. Was his cover blown? "You've been there for a while now, haven't you? Constantly, always, poised near this place, but never coming in..." Kanda looked around. The hallways were clear, but there was always a chance that the white-haired boy would take a peek outside and see Kanda's tell-tale black hair swishing behind his back as he tried to run away. "And I know why." His voice sounded almost... sad. "It's because of me, isn't it?"

"Don't flatter yourself too much-" Kanda got out of his hiding place angrily before realizing that he was out in the open. Damn reflexes.

"It's because of me that you won't come in!" Allen slammed the door open, his eyes wide and filled with depression. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hog the art room-"

They both stared at each other, cobalt eyes staring into ashen ones, before Kanda opened his mouth. "Why the fuck do you look so depressed, kid?"

Smooth, Kanda. Real smooth. Kanda winced at the harsh words that came out of his mouth. Allen looked surprised at first, but then began to scowl.

"None of your business, jerk. I can't believe it's you who's been out here all this time." Allen sighed, shaking his head, his hands raised in an almost comical fashion. "So, pray tell, what have you been doing, hiding behind a potted fern for the past few weeks?"

Shit. Shit. Shit. If this went out, his reputation would be ruined. Not that he cared for it much, but being nicknamed the 'stalker-that-hides-behind-plants' didn't sound too good. What could he say that wouldn't sound too fake or creepy? His eye caught sight of the dried clay around Allen's hands, and the single stroke of blue on his cheek.

"Art." Kanda said.

"Excuse me?" Allen raised a pencil-thin eyebrow.

"Teach me how to draw, paint, pottery... the works."

"Are you serious?"

"...yes."

Sometimes Kanda hated himself so much.

* * *

><p>Word got around that <em>the <em>Yuu Kanda- the ice prince, the hot god, the man with drool-worthy abs- was being taught how to create art by _the _Allen Walker- freak, nerd, and burnt arm- for no reason whatsoever.

Lavi burst out laughing when he had heard of the predicament. "No way." Lavi shook his head. "There's no way that that is freaking possible." He waved off the rumours, about to entertain himself by imagining Kanda's face when he was going to tell Kanda about the most recent gossip, when he found himself standing stock-still as he passed by the art room, watching the albino criticize Kanda's painting.

"Kanda, you can't be so bloodthirsty! I agree, it looks pretty intense- and you actually got the human anatomy correct- but think of the children!" Allen protested, his slender fingers covered with splotches of paint. Kanda had a dab of red paint on his nose, but either he didn't notice or Allen didn't bother to tell him.

"I don't care about children!" Kanda growled. "Isn't it fine?"

"I'm the teacher- you asked me to help you, which I actually do not understand. Your art skills aren't half-bad." At this, Allen leaned in closer, examining the art piece, consequently almost draped over Kanda's lap. He didn't seem to notice. Kanda didn't seem to mind.

Lavi's mouth was permanently unhinged.

* * *

><p>Lenalee practically spat out her chocolate milk when Lavi told her.<p>

"Seriously? Mr. I'm-going-to-kill-you-if-you-get-close-to-me is letting some nerd fall all over him?" Lenalee said, her expression one of disbelief.

"Yes! And that nerd is..." Lavi spread his arms out dramatically. "Allen Walker!"

"Allen? You mean... the kind of cute white-haired guy?" Lenalee blinked. "Wow. I never knew Kanda swung that way... I didn't even know Kanda even swung ANY way."

"I know. Mindblown." Lavi settled down beside her. "What do you think about Allen?"

"Allen?" Lenalee thought for a second. "He's pretty sweet and chivalrous- something you wouldn't expect in this time and age. I quite like him."

"Well, if you say so..." Lavi said dubiously. "If Miss Lenalee deems a person alright, then he is alright!" Lavi sighed and leaned against the wall. "I suppose I can leave dear Yuu-chan with Mr. Allen without a worry, then."

"Shouldn't you worry about Allen's safety?" Lenalee questioned. Lavi looked to the horizon.

"I should, but Yuu-chan is sweet deep, deep inside." Lavi said, grinning.

"Right. Deep, deep inside." Lenalee echoed.

"Deep, deep inside..."

* * *

><p>"No, Kanda! You're going to break the bowl! You're applying too much pressure!"<p>

Kanda gritted his teeth, trying to keep his temper in check. How long had it been since he started taking art lessons from the boy? He honestly couldn't remember, but it felt like forever. Right now, he was on his first pottery lesson, and, to be honest, he was complete crap at it.

"Well, I'm not too sure how much pressure I should put on it!" Kanda snapped back at him. "Why don't you do a demonstration or something?"

Allen narrowed his eyes. "Because... demonstrations are useless! You can't learn if you just watch me do it; you have to do it yourself!"

"But I'm horrible at this! I'm just naturally too strong!" Kanda shot back, unconsciously applying more pressure. The bowl resembled a vase now.

"No, Kanda, no!" Allen wailed. "That clay is expensive! Fine, I'll show you."

Finally, Kanda thought. He began to remove his hands from the warm mud when he felt smaller, colder hands on top of his.

"What are you doing?" Kanda asked, his voice kept even. Allen's arms were around his waist, and his hands were holding his gently, guiding his hand.

"I'm doing a demonstration." Allen's breath tickled Kanda's neck, and he could smell the sweet tea-tree scent from his hair. He suddenly felt rather stupid for thinking these thoughts, but forgot about the stupidity yet again when Allen's grip tightened.

"That's right, slowly now... don't press too hard or dig your nails in... perfect." Allen dropped his hand suddenly, making Kanda feel disappointed.

Disappointed? Kanda shook his head internally. No. He did not feel disappointed. His emotions were betraying him.

"Kanda! Don't let go of the clay!" Allen's hysterical voice suddenly yelled. Kanda blinked, and in a flash, his face was completely covered in lukewarm clay.

Allen would not stop laughing, even after Kanda had threatened to chop off all of his hair the second he could get the muck off of his face.

* * *

><p>He wasn't sure when Allen started joining them for lunch, but he didn't mind it. Allen's constant, pale self was a nice presence. They would start bickering the second they met, but no matter what, Allen would sit beside Kanda and steal a few strands of soba from his obento. Kanda would threaten him with mugen at his side, but everyone knew that it was practically half-hearted. Lavi was grinning approvingly at the side, and Lenalee would just sigh happily, thinking that Kanda was finally lightening up a little.<p>

"You little bastard-"

"What, you want to fight? You long-haired girl!"

"What! If anyone's a girl it's you, with your tiny short body!"

"I-I'm just a late bloomer! And-"

Well, maybe 'lightening up' was too far of a stretch, but hey; he had someone to be on par with. And for Kanda, that seemed to be enough.

They never noticed the slight, almost shy brushes of skin-contact Kanda steeled his nerves to do.

* * *

><p>Allen knew it would happen soon, but he wasn't sure when. And now that they had cornered him, he quickly thought of a will.<p>

"My money will go to Timcanpy, and he has to keep it safe and donate it to orphanages..." Allen mentally thought. Timcanpy was his pet golden retriever, who had oddly sharp canine teeth and understood human words perfectly. "Oh, and burn all of my picture albums. Except for the one when I had to dress up as a clown to stand in for Mana. That was a fun experience."

"...hey! Freak! Listen up!" Allen snapped out of it, staring up into a mixed group of boys and girls. He did a head count, and his heart sank. There was about five of them. "How dare you socialize with Yuu Kanda senpai! He's our hero! And now he's soiled because of you!" A girl sauntered over, her narrowed eyes lined with eyeliner. Allen almost laughed when she called Kanda 'senpai'. He didn't think he would like his language to be spoken by an amateur. "Quit smiling!" She yelled at him.

"I bet he likes the pain. Freak." A boy nudged another, and they all burst out into laughter. Allen felt his face warm up. He was, by no means, a masochist!

"I don't!" He replied hotly. "Maybe you do, and you're only saying it to me because you're afraid of admitting it."

There was a short stunned silence before the boy started to laugh nervously. "He's whipped." He whispered to his friend.

"So, anyway, just stay away from him, okay? You're making him look bad!" This time, a girl with long, auburn hair came up to him, her face only inches away. He could see every pimple she tried to hide with concealer and the scent of perfume.

"Why should you decide who he's friends with?" Allen raised an eyebrow. "Last time I checked, you aren't Kanda's best friend."

"He called him Kanda!" The girl whispered furiously. "How dare he be so casual around him!"

"Look, it's not your choice if I'm Kanda's... acquaintance... or not. It's mine and his, and it's only between us. So shut up." He turned his back to them and began to walk away.

Bad move. Apparently his philosophical words fell on deaf ears and they made one big lunge on his shoulders, spinning him around and about to beat the hell out of him. Allen's eyes flashed, and he did a quick spin, surprising them and making them let go of his shoulders, and he aimed for the stomach, elbowing it and pushing it in deep. The boy gasped, but before he could land a swing, Allen changed targets, and kicked directly behind the kneecaps, tripping the girl and making her land on her friend. The other guy quickly did a headlock, but Allen shoved his foot right down his kneecap and squashed his foot, applying as much pressure as possible. They all sat down in a heaving pile. Allen dusted off his hands and merrily walked away.

Allen detected a small, quiet shuffle around the corner. Without thinking, he grabbed around the corner, groping around for the intruder. His hand wrapped around a calloused hand, and he almost felt like slapping himself to get out of this weird situation.

Allen had to look up to see who it was, but he was absolutely certain that it was Kanda. He was standing behind the wall, about to run down the stairs when Allen had clasped hands with him. Kanda turned around, his eyes wide with surprise. Allen stared at them, mesmerized. The Asian's default expression was irritation, and so it was rare for such a bright, almost innocent look in his eyes. His long, dark hair sashayed behind him, every strand shining under the light. Blinking, he glanced at the left hand that was tightly gripped on the wooden sword, and he pieced two and two together.

"Were you standing here, about to save me from those people?" Allen asked incredulously. And- did he imagine it?- a small, tiny flush formed on Kanda's high cheekbones.

"Don't flatter yourself too much." Kanda shot back, whipping his head to look down the stairs. "I just happened to be here."

"Hiding behind the corner of a wall- I guess you really do have a thing for concealing yourself?" Allen teased. "The first time we met- weren't you hiding behind a potted plant?"

"No." Kanda said.

"Yes." Allen replied.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No-"

"You're so childish!" Allen couldn't help but laugh. Kanda perked his ears, trying to memorize the sweet voice, the higher octave, the almost musical jingle. "I guess you're not half-bad, if you're trying to be a gentleman."

"I am not!" Kanda replied hotly. "I'm... I'm just..." Fuck, did he just stutter? He was out of words to say. Allen knew, and he knew, but he didn't say a word. In fact, Allen gently touched Kanda's pinky with his, and they slowly interlaced their fingers.

There was an almost awkward silence in the air for a long time, but Kanda didn't care. Was he... was it possible that he was falling for him?

* * *

><p>"Love." Lavi said thoughtfully.<p>

Kanda choked on his mandarin orange, and he spent about five minutes hacking and coughing. Lavi seemed not to notice, staring at the air in an almost dreamy state.

"Why..." Kanda growled, "did you bring up that word?"

"Why?" Lavi said, turning around. "Because... I'm in love!" Lavi turned starry eyed, sighing dramatically. Kanda slowly reached forward and grabbed his unopened green tea bottle. "Ask who, Yuu-chan!"

"Don't call me by my first name!" Kanda crushed his green tea bottle in annoyance. The brown liquid started spurting out in random directions. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" He swore, grabbing a napkin and hastily wiping his hand.

"It's...Lenalee!" Lavi spun around happily. "She's so pretty and smart and funny and... god! She's awesome!"

"Wouldn't Komui kill you?" Kanda asked, throwing his green tea bottle almost sadly. There goes his $1.50.

"Yes, but love conquers all!" Lavi did a fist pump in the air. "Love is a beautiful thing, Kanda. When you experience it, it's amazing. It's like... that frisson of excitement! That intoxicating sweet scent! Even the air they breathe out seems like the whispers of god."

"You sure are being poetic." Kanda said uninterestedly. "And when are you going to ask her out?"

"Oh my god, you're actually asking me questions?" Lavi yelped, his eyes wide and his mouth in a perfect 'o'. "Well, I was thinking soon. Maybe a bunch of flowers and some chocolates. Yup. Girls go totally gaga for chocolate. Besides that, what has changed you? Since when were you so nice?"

"I'm always nice." Kanda said monotonously. "I shit rainbows and money showers upon me like rain."

"Oh, you're so funny, Yuu-chan." Lavi waved at him dismissively. "But it's cool- oh, I have to go take a piss. Be right back!"

"Go drown in the toilet!" Kanda called after him.

"No, I'll just be sent to the Ministry of Magic!" Lavi yelled back. Kanda leaned on the wall, his uneaten soba lying beside him. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Lenalee or Allen today. Just Lavi. He used to call Lavi 'baka usagi', but it was an inside joke that even he had forgotten. He wasn't too close to Lenalee, so he didn't have a nickname for her, so...

Allen.

Kanda raised his head, staring at the wide, blue sky. He should have a nickname too, he supposed. Not that they were close or anything. It was nothing of the sort, he reassured himself. It was to make fun of him. 'Shorty' and 'old man' was getting old.

He was small, short and skinny. He was pale- so pale, in fact, that he didn't look real. His mop of white hair made him even paler. God, how pale can a person get?

What did he resemble? Kanda closed his eyes, trying to envision it. Cabbage, turnips, monkey...

"Hey, Kanda. Are you dead?"

Kanda's eyes shot open, and he stared at the person in front of him. Large, silver eyes stared at him curiously, his snow-like hair falling around him softly, cradling his face.

"Speak of the devil." Kanda murmured. "And he comes."

"What?" Allen asked, confused. "Are you high? God, Kanda, if you have stress, you can deal with it in better ways-" Kanda tuned him out, still thinking. Odd. He could see the kid's mouth moving and shaking his head, but he couldn't hear anything. It was almost funny.

Suddenly, he had the perfect image. "Moyashi." He said aloud.

"What?" Allen blinked, his head tilted slightly to the side. "What's that?"

"Look it up." Kanda replied. "I'm not a walking dictionary, you know."

"But it's in Japanese." Allen protested. "And you're Japanese."

"Racist."

"I'm just saying the truth!" Allen said, exasperated. "So you should know!"

"I'm doing you a favour, moyashi. Go and get some information through that thick skull of yours." Kanda said, his mouth curved into a smirk. Allen pouted, before climbing onto him and grabbing his collar.

"Woah there, kid. What are you doing?" Kanda was about to shove him off when he looked at his face. They stared, eye-to-eye, for a long while. Allen's plump lips looked oddly pink, and his face was so... pretty... he could feel his heart beat a little faster. Just a little.

_That frisson of excitement._

"You... I have no idea what you just called me." Allen grumbled. "But I know a little bit of Japanese, so... you suck, baKanda!"

Kanda sat there in stunned silence as he watched Allen jump off and take his bento box, running down the steps. As his brain finally registered what had just happened, he quickly got up, grabbing mugen as he chased after. "Give me back my soba or I'll kill you, you tiny moyashi!"

* * *

><p>"Beansprout." Allen deadpanned.<p>

"Yup." Lavi said matter-of-factedly. "Beansprout. 'Moyashi', right?"

"Yeah." Allen stood there, a copy of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' **(1)** hanging limply from his hands. "But... oh my god. No. Fucking. Way."

"Woah, woah, woah, moyashi chan! You shouldn't swear so much!" Lavi chided him. "Kanda's been a bad influence on you."

"Don't call me moyashi!" He yelled. Lavi winced. The librarian poked her head through and looked at them disapprovingly. Allen quickly apologized, but she merely turned around, her expression clearly indicating that she was pissed off.

"Why? Did Yuu-chan call you that?" Lavi whispered. Allen sighed.

"Yeah, he did." He whispered back. "It was weird- I don't understand him."

"He only gives nicknames to people he's close with." Lavi walked away, fingering the spine of the A section books. "Like, he calls me baka usagi."

"Stupid bunny?" Allen said incredulously. "He calls you a _bunny_?"

"I know. Weird, right?" Lavi took out a book on geography. "I guess I'm just that cute and cuddly." Allen almost did a gagging motion. Lavi caught sight of it, and laughed. "Just kidding, dude. But it sure means something. You should be proud."

"Of being called a beansprout?" Allen raised his voice again. The librarian quickly swooped in. Allen, fumbling, took out a random book and pretended to read.

"Yeah. Enough about Yuu-chan! Let's talk about me!" Lavi said, his eyes twinkling. "Okay, okay, I just confessed to the Lenalady, and she accepted! Love is beautiful."

"Congratulations, Lavi." Allen said sincerely. "I'm surprised, but it's great."

Lavi stopped as he took out a book halfway, and turned to look at Allen. "What's that supposed to mean? Never mind, forget about it." Lavi inserted the Oxford Dictionary into his pile. "Love is so mysterious. You can feel that frisson of excitement, that intoxicating sweet scent! Even the air they breathe out seems like the whispers of god."

"Are you telling everyone you know the exact same lines?" Kanda peered in through the empty space that Lavi had just pulled out a book. "Because it's getting old."

"Kanda, I knew that you were a closet stalker!" Allen said brightly. "You just keep on popping out of the weirdest places!"

"Shut up, moyashi!" Kanda growled at him. "I just happened to-"

"Be here, yeah." Allen rolled his eyes. "Well, Lavi, don't you think he's bull- Lavi? Lavi?" Allen looked around, amazed to find only empty space beside him."Where'd Lavi go?"

"Away from you, probably." Kanda rolled his eyes. "Which is what I should be doing too. See you."

"Hey, don't just leave me by myself!" Allen protested. "It's lonely."

Kanda almost guffawed. "What are you? A rabbit?"

Allen scowled. "No. Apparently, I'm a _beansprout. _Does this ring a bell anywhere?"

Kanda lips turned up to an almost-smile. "So you looked it up?"

"No, I went to the walking dictionary called Lavi." Allen said sulkily. "I can't believe you called me a beansprout."

"Well, deal with it. It matches you." Kanda paused for a second. "I mean it in the nicest way possible."

"Coming from you, it would make it pretty damn horrible." Allen purposefully knocked Kanda's shoulder. Kanda narrowed his eyes, and after a few seconds, bumped back, a little bit harder than he did. This went on for a while until they left the library, bumping back and forth until it practically became a shoving match.

"Stop- doing- that!" Kanda gritted his teeth. "It's- annoying!"

"Well- you- should – stop- first!" Allen retorted. "Stop- it- argh!" Kanda pushed too hard, making Allen slip on the floor. He grabbed onto Kanda's shirt, and he practically strangled him to death, making him plummet to the floor with him.

"Ow, you little..." Kanda rubbed his head, his hair tie coming off. The pretty blue string hung loosely around his wrist. Allen laid down flat on the floor, his legs kneeling and his arms spread. Kanda sat on top of him, right on his stomach. "That hurt, bitch! If you wanted to fall, fall by yourself!"

"Sorry." Allen said, struggling to get up. "But you shoved me too hard!"

"Excuses." Kanda said dismissively. "That's what the weak do. Make excuses." As Allen was about to yell at him, he stopped and looked at Kanda. His hair was free from its tight hold, making it free-flow past his waist and cascaded down his back. The shiny, black sheet looked silken and soft to the touch. His oriental eyes had a hard gaze, like a black diamond. His face looked perfectly sculpted, and the faintest scent of shampoo was in the air.

"Pretty..." Allen breathed out. Kanda stared at him.

"Excuse me?" Kanda growled. Allen snapped out of it.

"I said, you smell like shampoo." He hastily corrected himself.

_That intoxicating sweet scent._

"No shit, I shower every day. Do you?" Kanda asked. Allen flushed a bright red.

"Of course I do, you git! What do you think I am, a pig?" Allen said hotly.

"With the way that you eat, you'd think you are one." Kanda smirked. Allen punched his face, and after recovering from the shock of getting hit by a puny underclassmen, he responded by punching his gut. They ended up having a wrestling match until they accidentally rolled onto the wall.

Needless to say, it wasn't nice.

* * *

><p>"You're teaching me kendo?" Allen sat down on the tatami mat, holding a wooden sword. "You're kidding, right?"<p>

"I wish I was." Kanda sighed. "But after you got beaten up by my fanclub-"

"I was not beaten up!" Allen yelled. "I defeated them! All five of them, by myself!"

"All you did was some stupid self-defence moves." He replied dismissively. "Anyway, to train you for the real world, it's best if you had a little bit of experience."

"I so do have experience!" Allen got up, holding the sword uncertainly. "I really don't need any of this, Kanda. Thanks for the offer."

Before he could even respond, Kanda moved forward in one effortless, sleek move, successfully whacking the side of his body and sending him hurtling onto the wall. Allen stared, wide-eyed and upside-down, as Kanda sheathed his wooden sword, re-tying his loosened ponytail. "I see that we need some training, _wakaibatta._" **(2)**

"I- what did you just call me?" Allen did a somersault, and then winced and rubbed his head. "Damn you and your Japanese language. I should go study a course..."

"Yeah, yeah. Well, you suck, and I'm good at this. I'm your sensei for now." Kanda whipped his sword through the air. It sliced through with a nice, loud whoosh. Allen, determined not to lose to a person like Kanda, steadied his position and gripped the sword tightly.

"Well, at least do a little demo, baKanda! I'm a newcomer at this." Allen grumbled. "I know a little bit of fencing-"

"But that is totally irrelevant to kendo." Kanda finished. "And, demonstrations are useless! You can't learn if you just watch me do it; you have to do it yourself! Now, who said that to me?" Kanda gave him a smirk. Allen flushed a bright red.

"Well, in the end, I helped you anyway! So help me- hwa?" Allen blinked, feeling stronger hands envelop his smaller ones. "What are you doing?"

"Demonstrating." Kanda said, right beside his ear. Allen could practically feel the smirk Kanda had on. "Isn't this what _Allen-sensei_ taught me?" His tone was full of mockery, but Allen decided not to fall prey into his trap.

"I taught you pottery, not violence." Allen rolled his eyes, but let Kanda continue. He could feel his back pressed into the strong, well-toned chest of Kanda's, the hard muscle making him feel slightly self-conscious of his bony, flabby self. He should start jogging or something.

"Poise yourself." Kanda ordered. "Grip the handle- that's right- and angle the sword down in the air. That's a block. To attack, raise it- careful now- and slice down, in an arc. That's an attack." **(3) **He continued on explaining and Allen listened intently, unsure of when he actually was quite interested in fighting against Kanda.

They fought, parried and attacked for the past hour. Allen was a fast learner, and he was soon able to block most of the attacks from Kanda. He still could not attack or find any weak points, however, and he soon collapsed onto the tatami mat, unknowingly escaping a vicious attack from Kanda.

"Too... tired." Allen gasped. "Hun...gry..."

"Well, I guess we can stop for now." Kanda sat down on the floor, his face looking absolutely relaxed. Allen stared at him almost enviously.

"How are you not sweating?" Allen complained. "Damn you and your Asian genetics."** (4)**

"Oi, oi. Calm down with the racism." Kanda chuckled, a low, almost predatory growl. Allen felt the hair on his skin rise up, and he shivered. It sounded... to be honest...

"Seductive."

"What?" Kanda turned around, looking flabbergasted. Allen slapped his hand onto his mouth.

"N...nothing." He quickly said.

_Even the air they breathe out seems like the whispers of god._

* * *

><p>"Draw, Kanda. Draw!" Allen waved his hands wildly, his dark fingers holding a charcoal nub. It was after school again, and around 4:20. Their art lesson had gone on for a little bit longer than usual because Kanda was, as Allen had discovered, not that good at drawing. The afternoon sun spilled like liquid-gold and dyed Allen's hair blond and Kanda's hair a light blue. The whole room was washed aglow with the colour of sweet honeysuckle, but the mood was far from nice.<p>

"Is this not drawing?" Kanda used the HB pencil and attempted to sketch out a leaf. It wasn't exactly at Michelangelo level.

"Well, I suppose. But you're not putting in any emotion to it." Allen said, pursing his lips. "Isn't the whole reason of me being your sensei to teach you art?"

"I didn't really want to learn about art." He muttered under his breath. Allen noticed it, and he frowned.

"Well, what other reason is there?" Allen asked. "It's not just some stupid dare, right? Tell me it isn't."

"Of course it isn't! Do I seem like the type to do dares?" Kanda glared at him. Allen glared right back.

"Well, how would I know?" Allen said, his voice attempting to sound even. "Why did you want to come, and stand behind a stupid plant for several weeks?"

"I..." Kanda gripped the pencil so hard it snapped in half. They both didn't notice. "I wanted to..." His mind was at a blank. As he scrambled for words, Allen got up, gripping his charcoal nub tightly.

"Great. A difficult to understand answer. I guess it really was nothing, huh?" Allen said bitterly. "Just like Mana. Just like Mana..."

"Your hand." Kanda said suddenly. Allen's shoulders fell limp, depressed. "I... that time I bumped into you. You said something about your arm. I didn't want to hold your hand because there was paint all over it."

The tip of Allen's ears turned red. "O-oh, really? Is that it? I... I didn't... alright... b-but how is this related to what we're talking about?"

"I came to apologize." The words sounded foreign in Kanda's mouth. "But I didn't know how. And so I hid behind a stupid disguise, and... after I saw you making art..."

"After...?" Allen's voice was soft, almost delicate, as though it was about to break.

"You fascinated me." Kanda confessed. "You were... you are... rare. Like a gossamer thread. Or... a fairy."

"A fairy?" Allen burst out into laughter. "Great, you ruined the moment. Thanks a lot, baKanda." Allen turned around, his face flushed red, his mouth wide open in a real, sincere smile. Kanda, in all of the months he had known him, had never seen him smile so brightly, shine so perfectly.

And so Kanda, in the heat of the moment, got up and leaned down to capture those sweet, pink lips of Allen's. His arms looped around Allen's thin neck and grasped the soft nest of white hair, his eyes closed and just gently pressing, mouth-on-mouth.

Allen's ashen eyes leaked a few crystalline tears, and he slowly closed them as well. His fingers went slack, and the charcoal nub fell to the floor, the black crumbling slowly.

They both didn't care.

* * *

><p>Okay. This thing/ is about 7,000 words long. Which is... rather... long? I wish it was longer but I'm tired from writing.

I'm thinking of posting more yullen one-shots :D Would you like me to?~

Please review if you liked it... If you didn't.. well... constructive criticism? :S

**(1) The Picture of Dorian Gray**: You will be poisoned. Be warned. But it's a fantastic book, and you should read it. It's written by Oscar Wilde.

**(2) Wakaibatta: **Young Grasshopper

**(3) The Kendo Lesson: **Okay see I know absolutely nothing of Kendo. BTW I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT POTTERY EITHER

**(4) Asian Genetics: **DON'T GET PISSED ASIANS. Because I am Asian, and I sweat like... okay you know what you don't have to.


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